Red Solo cups โ a staple of barbecues and beer pong โ are usually synonymous with good times.
But on Tuesday, as word of country singer Toby Keithโs death spread, many were raising their red Solos in sad tribute to the singer, who immortalized the humble plastic cups in his 2011 hit โRed Solo Cup.โ Keith, who had stomach cancer, died Monday at age 62.
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โHe was a great American and an exceptional storyteller who will be deeply missed in country music,โ said Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, in a post Tuesday on X. โRaise your โRed Solo Cupโ to Toby for a life well-lived.โ
Hundreds of fans said they planned to fill their red Solo cups with beer, whiskey and even wine and hoist them in Keithโs memory Tuesday. Social media was flooded with photos of Keith, red Solo cup in hand. Bars, like Madison Social in Tallahassee, Florida, and Independent Brewing Co. in Bel Air, Maryland, announced drink specials served in red Solo cups.
The Solo brand got its start in 1936, when Leo Hulseman โ a former employee of Dixie Co. โ began making disposable paper drinking cones that were sold to bottled-water companies.
In the 1970s, Leoโs son, Robert Hulseman, invented the sturdy plastic cup that became synonymous with Solo. It was first released in red but is now offered in multiple colors, including blue and green.
Mason, Michigan-based Dart Container Corp. bought Illinois-based Solo Cup Co. in 2012. As a private company, Dart doesnโt release sales data, but the company said Tuesday that the Solo cup remains โone of the best-selling party cups in America today.โ
โWe were honored that Toby chose the iconic Solo cup as a sign of good times, and we extend our sympathies to all those who are mourning him today,โ Dart said in a statement Tuesday.
โRed Solo Cupโ was featured on Keithโs 2011 album โClancyโs Tavern.โ Keith didnโt write the song, and in a 2014 interview with The Boot, a country music publication, he said he wasnโt even sure he would release it. But whenever he played it, he noticed people would start singing along almost immediately.
โIt is the stupidest song I ever heard in my life, but itโs so stupid itโs good,โ Keith told The Boot.
So for those inclined to raise a red Solo cup in Keithโs honor, these words from his song may ring true: โRed Solo cup, youโre more than just plastic. Youโre more than amazing, youโre more than fantastic.โ